Mobile phones have become an integral part of most individual lives. According to the Pew Research Center in January of 2017, 95% of all individuals in the United States own some type of mobile phone. The share of Americans that own smartphones is now 77%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center's first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011. For individuals between the ages of 18 to 29, ownership of smart phones is at approximately 92%.
Mobile phones transmit and receive data wirelessly through communication networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and/or a public network. To communicate with these networks, antennas within these mobile phones receive and radiate Radio Frequency (RF) signals. Once the mobile phone is activated, the mobile phone is constantly transmitting and receiving RF electromagnetic frequency signals.
Many mobile phones are held close to the user's bodies and/or heads when in use. For example, when talking on a mobile phone, the user may hold the mobile phone close to the user's head/ear/brain/eyes. Many users store and hold their mobile phones in their pocket next to their body. Thus, the antennas of the mobile phones that radiate the RF electromagnetic frequency signals may lead to greater exposure and absorption of radiation by the users head and body.
Studies have been conducted and continue to be conducted regarding the health concerns of RF electromagnetic frequency signals being radiated from mobile phones. These studies have focused on the negative long term effects of radiation on people and its' medical complications. Some study results have shown that the penetration level of radiation is more dangerous and has more negative health effects in children than adults. Children's nervous systems are still developing and, therefore, more vulnerable to factors that may be possibly carcinogenic. Their heads are smaller than those of adults and they have thinner brain tissues and bones and consequently have a greater proportional exposure to the field of radiofrequency radiation that is emitted by mobile phones. Children also have the potential of accumulating more years of mobile phone exposure than adults. Several studies are currently being conducted regarding the potential health effects of radiation on brain electrical activity, joint pain, heart rate, blood pressure, immune system, possible carcinogenic affects. The World Health Organization has classified mobile phone radiation as a Class 2B Possible Carcinogen.
Because of the potential effect of radiation from mobile phones, the FCC requires limiting the radiation from a portable communication device (such as a mobile or cellular telephone) that is directed towards a user's head (Specific Absorption Rate, or SAR). Further, warnings are placed inside the boxes of all mobile phone instruction booklets warning users to keep mobile phones certain distances away from the users' head and bodies due to the harmful effects of the electromagnetic RF radiation.
Attempts have been made to redirect the RF radiation away from the body of a user when using mobile phones. For example, protective cases have been created which may be placed onto a mobile phone to try and redirect the RF radiation away from the body of a user. The RF shielding used to redirect the RF radiation away from the body of a user is built into the protective case. The problem with the unmovable and permanent placement of the RF shielding in these cases is that the RF shielding cannot be removed, moved or adjusted in order to be more protective to the user. All mobile phones are not alike and the placement of shielding must be appropriately placed specific to the location of the antennas in each mobile phone to reflect/deflect the electromagnetic RF radiation directed towards the user. Further, if a user wishes to change the protective cover on a mobile phone, the new protective cover must also have the RF shielding built into the new protective cover. Otherwise, the new protective cover will not redirect the radiation away from the body of a user. Unfortunately, these covers are a ‘one size/style fits all’ and not appealing to the millions of people that use mobile phones. Most children, teens and adults personally identify with their mobile phones and choose and change the cases/covers according to their moods, feelings, beliefs, clothes, favorite characters, favorite colors, style, etc. The covers/cases are actually a status and personality symbol to most mobile phone users and these cases are changed quite often. Most decorative and/or protective covers do not have any RF shielding. Thus, individuals are limited to the decorative and/or protective covers they may purchase.
Other attempts have been made to reduce and/or redirect the RF radiation away from the body of a user when using mobile phones by placing circuitry or other shielding devices within the mobile phones. However, the circuitry being placed within the mobile phones only reduce the RF radiation to certain predefined levels. The circuitry can only reduce the RF radiation to certain predefined levels inside the mobile phones; otherwise the mobile phone will no longer be able to effectively communicate with the networks. Further, the circuitry only reduces the RF radiation and does not actually block and/or shield the body from the RF radiation. With regards to the shielding devices built within the mobile phones, many of the shielding devices are not meant to reduce and/or redirect the RF radiation away from the body of a user. Instead, many of the shielding devices are used to prevent RF interferences between components of the mobile phone.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a system and method that overcomes the above. The system and method would deflect and/or reflect RF radiation away from the body of the mobile phone user with the use of a metallic plate to shield electromagnetic RFs between the mobile phone and the user. This will significantly reduce the absorption, by the user, of the electromagnetic RF radiation. The system and method would be adjustable to meet the RF shielding needs of the specific mobile phone and transferable between any decorative and/or protective cover/case placed on the mobile phone thereby allowing the mobile phone user to choose any decorative and/or protective cover/case he/she desires.